Electric railway.



} Patented Dec. 4, I900. E. SUSSMANN-HELLBOBN & WQHDRNAUER.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

(Application filed on 11,1900.

3 Sheets-Sheet I,

(No Model.)

Patented Dec. 4, I900. E. SUSSMANN-HELLBURN & W. HORNAUER.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY. (Applicatidn file'd Oct. 11, 19oo. 3 Sheets-'Shaet 3,

(No Model.)

Mp5 7 added UNlTED STATES 1ATENT FFICE.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 663,398, dated December 4, 1900.

Application filed October 11, 1900. Serial No. 82,770. (No model.)

To alt whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ERNST SUSSMANN- HELLBORN and WILHELM HORNAUER, citizens of Germany, residing at Munich, Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Railways; and We do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The object of the present invention is to feed the electric current to motor-cars by means of induction instead of by means of the various contact devices hitherto generally employed. The devices hitherto employed for feeding electricity to cars by means of induction are too complicated to be of practical importance.

The device forming the object of the present invention is of very simple construction and is easily adapted to the various systems in vogue. The invention is applicable both to single-phase (alternating) and to multiplephase currents.

The essential feature of the application consists in the enlarged or extended employment of a divided transformer the primary windings of which are arranged in the ground or underground, while the secondary windings are mounted on the car and move with the same. The primary windings must consequently be continuous, so as to enable the car elements to always receive the current by induction produced by the primary elements and to feed the same to the electric motors on the car.

In order to render the present specification easily intelligible, reference is had to the acco'mpanying drawings, in which similar letters of reference denote similar parts throughout the several views.

Figure 1 is a diagram showing the arrangement of the elements in the tracks, and Fig. 2 a similar diagram showing the arrangement of the car elements or windings. Fig. 3 shows a modified arrangement for primary elements, and Fig. 4 a modified arrangement of the primary elements for multiple-phase currents. Fig. 5 is a side elevation, and Fig. 6 a plan, showing the arrangement of the conductors.

As will be seen from Fig. 1, the primary windings or elements a are arranged in the ground, electricity being fed to the same by means of high-tension conductors in suitable manner. The spools consist of the U shaped iron cores 0, having the shoes I), the upper surfaces of which are either flush with the level of thestreet or arranged slightly below the same. The primary elements are mounted on the vertical shanks of the U shaped cores. These elements may be worked at any suitable high tension, according to circumstances.

The arrangement of the secondary elements-i e., that part of the divided transformers which is on the car-is similar to that of the primary ones, as will be seen from Fig. 2 and as indicated by f. In order to attain a better effect, on the one hand, and to be able to utilize the whole length of the car for the induction without having to increase the number of the second windings f, the corresponding poles of the car elements, which are all arranged on one side of the car, (as will be seen from Fig. 2, which shows the adaptation of the invention for single-phase alternating currents,) are constructed as continuous laminated iron straps or binders g, extending throughout the length of the car. The shape and distance apart of the connecting girders or bars are designed to enable the greatest possible absorption of the field-lines without, however, seriously impairing the effeet by radiation in the case of three or more parallel girders, as is necessary for multiplephase current. According to the first arrangement the distance apart of the primary elements a of the transformers is calculated so as to allow the secondary winding f to reach the next-lying primary element before it has left the previous one. Thus the distance apart of the primary elements must be determined by the length of the car. In order, however, to increase the efiect and to enable the arrangement of the elements still farther apart, the shoes of all the primary elements are combined at each side h h and t z to form a continuous iron bar or girder, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, which should be constructed according to the particular class of the core of the transformer. Owing to the good magnetic conducting capability of iron the primary coils a may be arranged as. far apart as is compatible with the variations of the tension at the poles of the motor. Since these tension variations are mainly due to a reduction of the effective field-lines, it will be readily understood that, having due regard to the slight magnetic resistance of the iron, it will be possible to materially increase the distance apart of the primary elements of the transformers in the direction of the track before any substantial alteration in the amount of the field-lines will take place.

By reducing the number of the primary elements and by connecting up the shoes of the same at each side the following advantage is attained: Assuming that for the moment no car is standing over any one primary element, the whole space lying between two elements and between the two compound girders or binders is presented as transmitting space for the fieldlines originating in such element. Thus a considerable reduction of the magneticresistance of the air is attainedi.- e. the work of the primary elements when no car is running over them will be considerably reduced,which is of great importance in connection with lines on which the cars do not run very often. Apart from this the self-induction of the primary elements of the transformers may be increased to any desired extent by enlarging the iron core, which enlargement would but very slightly influence the prime cost of the plant.

Figs. 1 to 3 relate to the application of the invention for alternating currents. For m ultiple-phase currents three girders are employed in place of the two 72 71, both underground and on the car, and the presence of three parallel girders still further red uces the amount of Work when no car is running. The arrangement of the primary elements for multiplephase current is illustrated in Fig. 4. In connection with this class of current the insensibility of the motor as regards the variations of tension is a great advantage and admits a still further increase in the distance apart of the primary elements on each girder.

On the car two or more secondary elements ff are arranged in series in order to compensate for the difference of tension due to the reduction of the field-lines in the various secondary spools by theircooperation. This offers a further possibility of increasing the distance apart of. the primary elements of the transformer.

I If the track has a number of curves and the car has to be provided with bogies, the girders 9 must be separately mounted on each part of the car-frame, and they may be magnetically connected one with the other.

It should be mentioned here that the high tension at which the primary elements may eventually be charged involves no danger for the general traffic. In connection with tracks for electric railways running through public streets only the girders h i approach the surface of the street, while the Well-insulated primary elements, of high tension, as also the main conductors, lie at a considerable depth below the level of the street. If necessary, still greater safety might be attained by connecting up all the girders electrically and by locating the neutral point on the ground.

The complete electrical connections are illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6. As will be seen from these figures, theconductors m extend from the source of electricity Zalong the track, and the primary elements aof the transformer are connected up to the same by branch conductors n in multiple are or else in series, as shown in Fig. 6. The zero-point of the winding of the transformer is in connection with the central girder 0, while the outside girders o are connected with the central girder by conductors p in order to prevent danger in the case of ineffective insulation. In order as far as possible to reduce the work of the primary elements when no cars are running, a condenser n is arranged in parallel connection at suitable intervals. The transmission of energy to the car takes place in the followmitted to the girders or bars 9 of the car, and

thus alternating current of low tension is generated in the secondary elements or windings and serves to drive the car.

We claim as our invention- 1. Means for feeding electricity to motor-cars by induction comprising a divided transformer having the primary elements embedded in the ground and the secondary elements or windings on the car, the iron cores of the prim ary and also of the secondary elements being each continuously magnetically connected up among themselves, parallel to the direction of the rails by means of a plurality of parallelly-located compound iron binders between the rails and on the car in the manner and for the purpose substantially as described.

2. In a device for feeding electricity to metor-cars by induction comprising the primary elements located in the ground and secondary elements located on the car, the combination of at least two secondary elements mounted on each iron binder of the car said elements being connected up in series for the purpose substantially as described.

3. The combination in an electric railway, of transformers having the primary elements distributed along the line and the secondary elements located on the car, said primary elements having magnetic bars extending along the line and connecting the extremities of like polarity, said secondary elements on the car also having magnetic bars connecting the extremities of like polarity, said bars on the car being arranged to travel in proximity to the said bars extending along the line, and

an electric motor on the car connected with said secondary elements, said latter elements being connected up in series with said motor.

4. The combination in an electric railway, of transformers having the primary elements distributed along the line and the secondary coils located on the car, the said primary elements of the transformers having their unlike extremities connected by a magnetic bar, and magnetic bars extending along the line and connecting the other ends of said primary elements, each of said latter bars connecting extremities of like polarity of the said primary elements, the said secondary elements of the transformers having their unlike extremities connected by a magnetic bar, and longitudinally-arranged magnetic bars connecting the other ends of said secondary elements, each of said latter bars connecting extremities of like polarity of the secondary elements, said longitudinal bars on the car being arranged to travel in proximity to said bars extending along the line, and an electric motor on the car connected with said secondary elements of the car.

5. The combination in an electric railway, of transformers having the primary coils distributed along the line and the secondary elements located on the car, the said primary elements of the transformers having their unlike extremities connected by a magnetic bar, and magnetic bars extending along the line and connecting the other ends of said primary elements, each of said latter bars connecting extremities of like polarity of the said primary elements, the said secondary elements of the transformers having their unlike extremities connected by a magnetic bar, and longitudinally-arranged magnetic bars connecting the other ends of said secondary elements, each of said .latter bars connecting extremities of like polarity of the secondary elements, said longitudinal bars on the car being arranged to travel in proximity to said bars extending along the line, and an electric motor on the car connected with said secondary elements of the car, said latter elements being connected up in series with said motor.

The combination in an electric railway, of polyphase transformers having the primary elements distributed along the line and the secondary elementslocated on the car,the said primary elements of the transformers having their unlike extremities connected by a magnetic bar, and magnetic bars extending along the line and connecting the other ends of said primary elements, each of said latter ba-rs connecting extremities of like polarity of the said primary elements, the said secondary elements of the transformers having their unlike extremities connected by a magnetic bar, and longitudinally-arranged magnetic bars connecting the other ends of said secondary elements, each of said latter bars connecting extremities of like polarity of the secondary elements, said longitudinal bars on the car being arranged to travel in proximity to said bars extending along the line, and an electric motor on the car connected with said secondary elements of the car.

7. The combination in an electric railway,

of polyphase transformers having the primary elements distributed along the line and the secondary elements located on the car,the said primary elements of the transformers having their unlike extremities connected by a magnetic bar, and magnetic bars extending along the line and connecting the other ends of said primary elements, each of said latter bars connecting extremities of like polarity of the said primary elements, the said secondary elements of the transformers having their unlike extremities connected by a magnetic bar, and longitudinally-arranged magnetic bars connecting the other ends of said secondary elements, each of said latter bars connecting extremities of like polarity of the secondary elements, said longitudinal bars on the car being arranged to travel in proximity to said bars extending along the line, and an electric motor on the car connected with said secondary elements of the car, said latter elements being connected up in series.

8. The combination in an electric railway,

of polyphase transformers having the primary elements distributed along theline and secondary elements on the car, said primary ele- IOO 

